Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Ronald G Davis

Ronnalee House

David S Dennis

Ronald N Gray

John Delaplane

Charles D Denniston

James S Hickman

Richard K Van Skyock

William J Linch

A solenoid valve assembly has a slidable valve member which responds to a selectively energizable solenoid coil and a spring to control the opening and closing of pressure and exhaust ports through movement of the valve member. When the pressure port is fully opened, the valve member is seated against a solenoid stop and port member. The solenoid stop and port member includes a central flow passage which serves as the exhaust passage for the valve assembly. The flow passage is surrounded by a valve seat area which includes a frusto-conical surface having a recess or groove formed therein. The frusto-conical surface and the groove therein reduces the flow forces imposed on the valve member which generally operate to assist seating of the valve member. By reducing the flow forces, the unseating force necessary to open the exhaust port is reduced resulting in lower spring and magnetic forces.

Solenoid valve assembly

A combination spring and washer device which facilitates pin-type cantilever mounting of a solenoid valve having a tubular plastic body on a transmission control valve body. The plastic body of the solenoid valve has a relatively heavy coil at a coil end thereof and is plugged into a pressure bore in the control valve body so that the coil is supported in cantilever beam fashion. A minimum wall thickness flux gap portion of the plastic body is located between the control valve body and the coil end of the plastic body. The spring and washer device is snap fitted over the flux gap portion and includes a flat washer portion which bears against a flange on the plastic body on one side of the flux gap portion. The spring and washer device further includes a pair of integral spring arms which bear against the coil body which is disposed on the other side of the flux gap portion so that the flux gap portion is preloaded in tension. The magnitude of the preload is calculated to balance the dynamic beam bending forces which occur during normal vehicle operation due to the concentration of the mass of the coil at the coil end of the plastic body.

Spring and washer device

An actuator for selectively actuating a circular array of electric switches. The actuator includes a molded plastic rotor part that contains particles of magnetic material. One portion of the rotor is magnetized to provide a permanent magnet that is effective to attract a switch actuating arm that is pivoted to the rotor. Another tubular portion of the rotor is magnetized to provide the rotor of an electric stepper motor. The stepper motor rotates the rotor to various positions. The arm can be attracted by an electromagnet and pivoted to a position in which it operates one of the circular array of switches.

Switch actuator for a remote control unit

An elongated unitary arm of a rigid material is tiltably mounted upon a rotor supported for rotation about a central axis and is spring force tilted in a first direction. This assembly is located in such a manner that the arm may be placed in register with any one of the operating tabs of a plurality of electrical load switches so mounted and oriented that the operating tabs extend toward the central axis to define a circle. Upon being placed in register with a switch operating tab, the arm is tilted in the opposite direction by the action of a solenoid actuated plunger.

Growing community of inventors

Anderson, IN, United States of America

Ronald G Davis